For the first question about how I feel about overweight people.  I want to help them.  I want to tell them that I used to be in their shoes, that I used to struggle to run a mile.  I wish I could bottle how I feel now, so they could feel it for themselves, and see that it is possible.  I know when I started, it seemed impossible (as it did so many other times when I tried), my goal was to get down to around 220ish, I figured that was realistic, and if I could get under 220, I would be rocking.  I never, ever imagined that I would ever be under 200lbs again, the last time I was under 200lbs I was 18 and fresh out of boot camp.  I have now been under 200lbs for 10 months, and holding steady in the mid-high 180s for a good chunk of that time.  Anything is possible with enough time and determination.

OK, here's a different tangent for all of you amazing transformers:  why did you  do it?  What finally clicked?  Having  kids, health issues, peer pressure?  I'm sincerely interested to know what it takes to finally say "enough is enough."

 

I have a brother who's been obese for as long as I can remember.  He doesn't mind exercise, his issue is, he loves to eat.  They are foodies. They take vacations to exotic places to focus on the food.  He'll never lose weight because he doesn't want to.  He's 58 years old and I doubt anything will change him now.

There were two things that got me going.  The first was my wife deciding to have bariatric surgery.  She has struggled with her weight for her entire adult life, has lost and gained over 100lbs, etc.  She made the decision to have gastric bypass in August of 2011 and started the process.  There was a three month doctor supervised diet (mandated by our insurance), and then a wait to get scheduled for the surgery (which ended up being March of 2012).  So while she started losing weight on the supervised diet, I was still cruising along doing the same thing I'd always done, which was mainly sit on the couch and eat.  Then I started to realize that she was going to get healthy and I was just going to be her fat, lazy husband.  So I decided to get my act together.  In December of 2011, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed, and dropped 19lbs during the two week recovery (it's really hard to maintain weight on a diet of jello and pudding).  So I used that as a jumping off point and started focusing on my eating habits.  I went high protein/low carb to start, mainly so I could focus on getting rid of all the snacks that I used to eat, and to help cut back on the amount of bread & pasta I ate.  I dropped about 40lbs before I even started running.  Then started running in April of last year and haven't looked back since.

Together, we've lost about 215lbs.

OK, here's a different tangent for all of you amazing transformers:  why did you  do it?  What finally clicked?  Having  kids, health issues, peer pressure?  I'm sincerely interested to know what it takes to finally say "enough is enough."

 

I have a brother who's been obese for as long as I can remember.  He doesn't mind exercise, his issue is, he loves to eat.  They are foodies. They take vacations to exotic places to focus on the food.  He'll never lose weight because he doesn't want to.  He's 58 years old and I doubt anything will change him now.

It finally clicked when I was due to have surgery for a tumour last June. I was terrified I was going to die during surgery. I promised the universe if I could survive I would lose 50lbs. I've fulfilled 40 of those so far.

When I got to the US, I was 180. It was a good weight for my height. I ate a vegetarian diet in the UK, I walked everywhere. I could walk to work, the store, I could walk to public transportation and get anywhere in the country. Where I moved in the US was not walker friendly at all. No sidewalks, very busy roads. I still walked a lot though. My weight stayed the same until I got pregnant. I ended my first pregnancy at 255. Beyond ridiculous. I started my second pregnancy at 246 and ended it at 275. I ate too much, I didn't exercise. I think part of it was moving away from home, I didn't have my parents telling me what I could and couldn't eat. I went crazy.

I want to put as much distance between me and 200 before I get pregnant with my third (and final) kiddo. I won't make the same mistakes again.

I'm still working on losing weight. I hadn't had the healthiest of lifestyles to start (was a member of the "eat/drink what I want, don't bother with exercise" club), and then I got thyroid cancer. I gained some weight during treatment; it was the largest I'd ever been, and I couldn't keep up with my friends.

Like a few others, I don't have a true "before" picture, since I knew I wouldn't like what I saw if someone took one.

From September, 2012, when I'd been running for a few months:

and this was a couple of weeks ago:

I think I dropped about 25 lbs between these two races.

My weight loss has not been as dramatic as others.  My running journey started two years ago.

My first 5

My last 5k this past Sunday. Don't like the photo but it shows the weight loss.

Rats!  Image not displaying.

I love this thread. (And the one in the GSP, too.) Totally inspirational and awe-inspiring to see what you folks have done with yourselves!

A couple of things I've noticed in the pictures:

1. Everyone looks better: younger, happier and healthier. Look at the hair. Much better looking hair in the After/Now photos.

2. Shirts are tucked in. Lots of confidence and "yeah, I look good" going on.

And for all of you that have lost weight and are losing weight (whether it's 5 lbs or 105 lbs): Great job! You rock!

OK, here's a different tangent for all of you amazing transformers:  why did you  do it?  What finally clicked?  Having  kids, health issues, peer pressure?  I'm sincerely interested to know what it takes to finally say "enough is enough."

 

I have a brother who's been obese for as long as I can remember.  He doesn't mind exercise, his issue is, he loves to eat.  They are foodies. They take vacations to exotic places to focus on the food.  He'll never lose weight because he doesn't want to.  He's 58 years old and I doubt anything will change him now.

I was about to have to upsize from 42 to 44 waist pants.  I would get winded drying off after a shower.  That was it.  I too was a recreational eater so I feel that pain.  60 pounds later, I only wish I could easily drop about 20 more pounds.

Yet, you are healthier and better now.  Remember that. 

Man, I feel like a freak... if I were to share "before and after" pictures, I'd be the exact opposite of all of these and heavier in the "after" ones. 

Why?  I was busting out of my size 14s. I was getting merged out of my stressful job and getting a nice severance package. Just a few months before, we did a health assessment for insurance and mine wasn't very good. Stress had taken it's toll and my weight was 180 and my blood pressure was 145-150/90. I'm 5'2" and my parents both have high blood pressure.

I realized that having some time off work before I found another job gave me a great opportunity to change my health and I desperately needed to. At 50, it was now or go downhill. I started walking and dieting in Aug 2011 and have lost 35 lbs, run a half marathon, brought my blood pressure down to 125/80, and my heart rats down from 85 to 60.

I'll edit and add pics when I get on my computer instead of my phone.